3 Digital Prospecting Mistakes & How to Turn them Around
Posted by Kathy Tito at 11:51 AM
0 comments - Categories: B2B Lead Generation | B2B Email Marketing
3 Digital Prospecting Mistakes & How to Turn them Around If prospects click on your content so much, why aren’t they buying from you?
She clicks on our email all the time, and follows our corporate twitter. I just know she’s ready to buy from me! Have you called her? Not yet. We’re on a roll. Maybe I’ll DM her a link to the new white paper! Assumption #1: “Wow, that person clicks all the time. They are one of my biggest fans. They must be really interested in my solution!” If you do have heavy clickers, I suggest that you not rest in the false sense of security that all those opens and/or clicks can give. They look fantastic in your marketing reports, but in order to have utmost value, they need to translate into your sales pipeline. Reach out by phone and qualify the clicks like only a human can. There can be a few different stories behind this activity. Here are some possible outcomes. You capture a lead today: You really do have an interested “follower”. They do like your content. As a matter of fact, they are in-market for just the solution you offer. You may have just converted this click to a qualified lead. You capture a lead tomorrow: You really do have an interested “follower”. They do like your content. For now, reading your content is a great way for them to learn, or maybe just procrastinate, in a relevant way of course! They are not in-market, but you will be the first solution they see when they need one, if you keep them engaged on a regular basis. You are nurturing a future opportunity. You have a phantom clicker: The person clicking is not the person you think they are (this is a real twist, and it’s fairly common!) Sometimes when that perfect prospect of yours leaves the company, someone else in their department (or in administration) will receive their email. They may click on it every time to see if it is important. That’s ok, don’t feel foolish. Do the right thing and update the record. Find out who has replaced your prospect, and get on their radar. – This is a key example of why human involvement is required to qualify those clicks. You’ve got friends in “low places”: The person clicking is interested, however, they are not the decision maker you need to be reaching. Find out who oversees them. If you can get a referral from the team member you have engaged, all the better. You’ve just captured the attention of a decision maker.
So, did you call her yet?
Yeah. Turns out she left the company months ago. But Chuck in HR loves our Joke of the Week Email.
Assumption #2: The users who don’t click as much as others are not as interested. Kudos to you if you’ve already debunked this myth. It almost sounds blasphemous to write this, because so many automated marketing strategies are predicated upon the opposite, but the truth is, the number of clicks you see from users, does not necessarily indicate how interested they are in your content, or how likely they are to buy from you. If you have had the pleasure of speaking with someone who has been influenced enough by your content to jump into your sales funnel, and you view their click history in your email account, you may notice that your hottest prospects may have only opened one email from you, and perhaps clicked once. | You may notice that your hottest prospects may have only opened one email from you… | Sometimes all it takes is one deeply relevant message that hits your prospects where they live, and makes them say, “We share the same approach to this, and I am interested in doing business with you.” Believe me, this will be music to your ears, but you will seldom hear it if you don’t take click follow up seriously. Yes, in some instances, the prospect will call you, assuming you placed your phone number within easy view (I’ve actually noticed that many blogs do not contain phone numbers, a decidedly “anti-social” choice). And if that prospect does call you, there is a 90% chance they will become your next client. But it’s important to make their life easier by calling them. You don’t necessarily want to mention the email itself. Here is a quick refresher on the best way to follow up on email, web visitors, or “downloaders”. >>> | Sometimes all it takes is one deeply relevant message that hits your prospects where they live, and makes them say, “We share the same approach to this, and I am interested in doing business with you.” | Action Plan: Don’t discount “low-clickers” as disinterested. Remember to take them seriously, and not put them at the bottom of the follow-up barrel. They too deserve a live call, preferably within hours or days, not weeks or months. If you are overwhelmed by “clicks” to follow-up on (notice, they are clicks, not qualified leads – yet!), you still need to come up with a solution. Outsource follow-up if need be, but do not ignore anyone’s interest. They may be your next customer.
| Don’t discount “low-clickers” as disinterested. They may be your next customer.|
Assumption #3. Clicks are leads. They are enough to stock my company’s sales pipeline. In the world of sales, clicks are not the end-game. They are the means to an end. In most instances, all of these clickers will be unlikely to buy from you, if you don’t engage them on a personal level off-line. The great news is, it is very useful to have clickers lined up for further qualification. They often represent a much lower barrier to entry because they have had your content on their mind at some point. They may not acknowledge reading your email, they may not remember everything your company does, but you are likely to overlap when it comes to an interest in your subject matter. And that is always rich soil from which to nurture a qualified sales opportunity. Summary: While automated, online marketing solutions are very effective for engaging prospects, and expanding the reach of your “net” overnight, only human conversation can meaningfully distil where there is a sales opportunity among the opens, clicks, and downloads. Need help translating your “opens” and “clicks” into meaningful sales opportunities? Call us now.
Kathryn Tito has contributed to the sales & marketing strategies of B2B tech firms since 1990. Please contact her for assistance with your next lead generation campaign. ktito@callcenterservices.com, (978)513-1225 
